News of the BISN company, its ships and staff, its

history and histoires, of ships and sealing wax, nautical

natters, maritime miscellanies and swinging of lanterns

Many thanks to reader Richard Henderson forthis wonderful reminder of The Good Life.Richard cannot help us with any names ofthese stalwarts from the Chindwara. Youreditor estimates late fifties or early 60s as apossible date and he is sure that some of hiseagled eyed readers will be able to help withidentifying these deck scrubbers.

FROM THE SCRAPBOOK...

Call it PHIS (Post Holiday Inertia Syndrome), sheer bloodylaziness or the growing requirement to look aftera new grandchild, but your Editor has been verydilatory in putting pen to paper following hiswonderful trip to New Zealand after Christmas.Indeed, judging by the cris de coeur by SimonMorgan, Derek Hargreaves, Willie Ross et al onthe Biship website, it would seem that quite a fewof you feel a little neglected! Never mind, we’reback in harness again and look forward toresuming our conversations with you all.Whilst your editor was away, it appears that oneof our number was the victim of some computerhacking, as many of us on his contact listreceived emails saying that he was destitute inSpain and please send money asap. But of course NickPearson is very much OK and is gratified to realise that somany people care about him - and please not to send anymoney!Natural disasters seem to dominate our tv screens andheadlines these days. Those of us who have experiencedhurricanes and the like - as did your editor in the nowBangladesh in November 1970 - can only empathise and pray.

We did think of keeping this picture of Lyttelton Harbour forour competition pages, but perhaps too few of you wouldrecognise the place now as a major logging port. Thememsahib was mighty tolerant as your editor explained the

various operations. Mind you, this

issue’ssubject is probably just as difficult! We offer our usualmixed bunch of articles this month and many thanks to allour contributors.

It’s good to be back!

FROM THE EDITOR...

Issue 24 March 2011

It has been a long time since your Editor first saw thiselegy to our favourite shipping company and when he‘re-discovered’ it, he couldn’t wait to rush it back intoprint.

In 1847, since one hundred and fifty three years,That Mac and Mac were at the old Colonial Club in Bombay,no doubt partaking of some beers.

Now Mac the first was The McKinnon and the otherThe McKenzie ye ken,They would sip and talk and sip and talk in earnestthese enterprising men.

Well the topic of their discussion is history, now it's unfurled,For it was to build a shipping companythat traded to all corners of the world.

As we reflect upon that time and the foresightof these men of yore,knowing now the greatness that was achievedmakes us hold them in some awe.

Their successes they were many and by fortunetheir failures were but few,So the shipping line they foundedjust grew and grew and grew.

The funnel with the two white bands,so famous to become,From America to Russia,from Iran to the land of rising sun.

They built their trading posts around the worldas vessels they were buying,And to these agencies their vessels came,with flags all proudly flying.

Now the house flag was designedthe Scots and English to forge,The cross it was St. Andrew'sbut the colour was St. George.

The B.I. sailed its vessels throughboth World Wars I and II,And as the greatest British fleetmost losses did accrue.

There were hospital ships and troopersand armed merchantmen as well,and of many brave and daring featsthe historians do tell.

The ship names were a historyof expansion along the way,The first vessels named for Indian townsall ending in an 'A'.

There followed names across Asiaand the Africk continent too,Through Australia and the Pacificthe glossary just grew.

The Molda, Kenya, Chindwara, Chyebassa,Dunera, Chakdina, Dumra, and Mombasa.Uganda, Bankura, Zaida, Kampala,Pentakota, Ozarda, Carpentaria and Chantala .

The Santhia, Nowshera, Dwarka, Canara,Pemba, Nuddea, Dunera and Woodarra,Aska, Bamora, Karanja, Ormara,Barpeta, Amra and ill-fated Dara.

There are many, many others far toonumerous to name,All equally well-remembered and with theirshare of fame.

But two famous B.I. Ladiesmust get a very special place,Because of their heroics,their history and their grace.

The first of these great ladiessailed down the African coast,To diplomats and gentry andwhite settlers she played host.

But when this trade depletedat the time "Uhuru" came,She went to be refittedto enjoy another game.

This game, of course, was cruisingbut with a different twist,They were children learning lessonsshe took into the mist.

They got to know and love her,these young people full of zest,And I like to think she taught themthings on life that she knew the best.

Sure we know that between these cruisesThere was a southern war,And a hospital ship she becamelike her sister ships before.

The conflict passed and she returnedto cruising once again,Though now she's gone a ladyshe always will remain.

The other was a grand old lady,yes I'm sure you know who - and yet,For me although was short-livedan experience I'll ne'er forget.

Powered by two T4 cylinder engines,making 12 knots with favouring tide,She was slow but so majestica stately queen born on river Clyde.

This serene old lady, through her life,achieved so many feats,Sailing through typhoons and wars and suchbut her voyages she completes.

Even Queens Mary and Elizabeth bothcomplements combined together,Could not surpass this gracious ship,which should have sailed for ever.

Her greater part of life was spenton the waters of Bengal,Taking cargo, crew and passengersto many ports of call.

Now many ships have sailed the world,the big, the fast, the small,But none can ever surpass " RAJULA"greatest lady of them all.

FROM THE POETRY BOOK....

(continued overleaf)

As well as varied vesselswith a mix of cargo most perverse,The crews of the great B.I. argosiescame from backgrounds equally diverse.

On deck were found mostly Hindusfrom Bombay, Madras and Bangalore,Whilst below there were more Muslimsfrom Calcutta, Jaipur and Cawnpore.

The Stewards or "Boys" as we called them,they answered to any old page,were mostly Christians from Goaand often three times our age.

The chippies and fitters were Chinesefrom Singers and Honkers they came.Hard-working, reliable and honestand "John" usually was their name.

The Serangs and the TindalsCassabs and the Sekunniestoiled long hours and gavesweat for all their monies.

The crews were good,seldom causing trouble,whilst the Topaz just smiledand puffed on hubble-bubble.

Pakistanis, Brits and Africans,Aussies and Kiwis too,all have their place with many othersin the B.I. Book of who is who.

Men who went down to the sea in shipsand remembering ladies as bold,many stories have now been written,but there are still many to be told.

Well, the ports to which these great vessels travelled afar,reads as well as the list of their names, from Suez to Panama.

From Gibraltar, Bombay, Bedi Bundar, Shanghai,Middlesborough, Brisbane, Yokohama, Dubai.

The list it is endless, reads like adventure book,there's Karachi, Rangoon, and Colombonot forgetting on the hook .

Zanzibar, Port Said, Khorramshahr and Tanga,Mtwara, Kobe, Napier and Tauranga.

There's Gaulle, Hamburg, Adelaide and Alleppey,Chittagong, Hong Kong, Singapore and add to that Moji.

Calcutta, Glasgow, Mauritius, Antwerp and Auckland as well,Then Falmouth, Kuwait and Durban, and last but not leastSeychelles.

The B.I. we love and remembercould do anything that was required,carry freight, fuel or Haji-passengers,what one's heart desired.

From troopers to liners and tugs,King Arthur's ships with a ramp,Sir Lancelot, Galahad, Tristram,carry tanks and steel in tramp.

With vessels and cargoes a' travellingo’er all world's oceans and seas,it was surely a mandatory needto man them with skill and expertise.

So once the Great War was endedthe company its trades to maintain,launched its cadet shipsto produce qualified men of main.

There were thirteen cadetships in numbertraining over ten times that number of men,the names I'm sure you'll remember,if not we'll remind you again.

The first was Berbera followed by Waipara and Carpentaria,Manora, Wangaratta, Woodarra and Australia.

Nardana, Nerbudda and Devon followed on this famous trend,with Waroonga, Chindwara and Chantala bringing up the end.

It's interesting to note in passingthe practice was a success,because many famous companies usedthis method to show their prowess.

The B.I. had lots that was normal,but more that was abnormal I guess.Do you remember the Malim Sahib's Hindustaniand the usual forms of address.

Salaam, Kica Hi, Atcha, Tik Hi and Ardmiwere some of the words,But "Tum Lakri Lakri Tum" was the classicamong the many absurds.

The Malim Sahib, he was all knowing,of course dependant on his rank.The Captain Sahib he was perfection,tho' it's rumoured some of them drank.

The Mistri Sahib was a mysteryone never knew what he meant,unless you were fluent in Gaelicyou couldn't understand his intent.

Do you remember the bridge when on stations?The engine-room phone would blare,The Chief Engineer was a'calling"watch out or there'll be no bloody air".

The pilot on hearing this messagewent out on the wing and was sick,So the master in control, as always,muttered something and let go the pick.

Do you remember the 1st trip apprentice,all decked out in new attire?He didn't know bowlines from sheepshanksbut his belly was brimful of fire.

For within less than four years of joining a lifethat at first was so new,He'd be back to sail as an officer,a career person through and through .

Do you remember in the Gulf in summer,120o on the plates?No a/c around in those days,just an ancient fan that gyrates.

FROM THE POETRY BOOK (contd)....

(continued overleaf)

We are again indebted to the wonderful DavidHammond for yet another extract from his seeminglyinexhaustible range of BI crew lists garnered when hewas serving as a Radio Officer on BI ships.Your editor has known David since those days, but ischastened to note that he appears only once in thefour book set. Ah well, obscurity probably has itsbenefits!

FROM THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK ....

Young Tracy has just rushed up to the Executive Suite(apparently she likes exercise) to announce that thefollowing have recently joined our growing list ofsubscribers: Martin Speller, Mike Davison, both fromNew Zealand; Tony Henley; Sean Wedick from USA;Graham Beeby, Seamus Baragry, Colin Hall, DavidKennedy, all from UK. Gentlemen, you are amongstfriends.

FROM THE SUBSCRIPTIONS DEPT ....

Fixing boilers and gennies, checking all the dialsand all in heat so severe,it's no wonder at all that these men of steelwhen off duty consumed ice cold beer.

Do you remember that P&O gentlemento be officers tried really hard?And the B.I. officers equallyto be gentlemen usually marred.

At the end P&O were successfulin leading the world's greatest fleet.But there's something that they'll never equaland that's B.I.'s major feat.

‘Twas the 16th of September in Mombasaand the year was 1950 and one.There were six B.I. ships alongsideand one doubled in the sun.

There was Mantola, Mombasa and Kenyawith Karanja and Modasa too,the Tabora alongside Kampalato be at the end of the queue.

The activity at all berths was hectic,not one berth was spare in port,Whilst other companies raised objectionstheir clamourings all came to nought

It was "B.I. Sunday" and no other companyhad a ship berthed - just the seven!Maybe Mac and Mac smiled and raised their glassesas they looked down from heaven.

There is much more that could be written about this companyits ships and personnel.In its century and a quarter of operationsit has over many cast its spell.

In today's world crime, piracy and wars rifeand honest values seemingly doomed to die,think back with gratitude my friendsto the joy, happiness and friendship all found in B.I.

IAN BOTELER MARR

FROM THE POETRY BOOK (contd)....

This merry band was onhand to give your Editorand his lady a wonderfultime in Auckland's MissionBay area recently. Muchswinging of lanterns wasdone by, left to right,Martin Speller,       JohnBuxton,     Robyn Speller,Rita Johnson,    Anne Gates,    Marjory Buxton, TonyGates and John Davison.John Davison in particularrecalled a splendid night thatyour Editor enjoyed with him in Singapore back in ‘68,dancing away in the Tropicana night club - not with eachother, of course!It was splendid to meet up with some of our readers andold friends and to hear more about the thriving socialscene enjoyed by our Australian and NZ colleagues.Some of them managed to get together in April last yearin Queenstown, as the smaller photograph shows. Youcertainly have fun, ladies and gentlemen, and your Editorfor one is quite jealous!

FROM THE ANTIPODES....

The latest in our little “where are we now?”competitions posed no threat to our eagle-eyedreaders, who, by their hundreds (a bit of editoriallicence there, methinks!) correctlyidentified the famous tusks inKilindini Road, Mombasa,amongst them Frank Ayers,Chris Shelbourn and SandyBowman. Many readers weremore interested in theidentities of our tworevellers - but wild horseswouldn’t drag their namesfrom your Editor’s lips.Your secret is safe here,Tony. The photo provokedsome memories fromGordon Wood, whorecalled “having spent mychildhood in East Africa(including Mombasa), myparents still retainedcontact with old rafikis(friends) there long aftertheir return to England in1967. When in port in Mombasa (as chotah sahib) I wasexpected to look up their rafikis. This usually entailedbeing invited out for dinner. Invariably I used the excusethat I was on duty later that night and they would kindlydrop me off at the gangway around 2100 hrs. No soonerwere they out of sight I hopped into the nearest cab tocatch up with the lads ashore! Apart from the “Star Bar”

I recall that the night clublocated at the oldwaterfront swimming pool(“New Florida”) wasanother favourite haunt.For more salubrious

surroundings wewould head off the island to“Nyali Beach Hotel”, and evenfurther north to “WhisperingPalms”. A visit to the latterresort resulted in a palm tree“stepping out” from the side ofthe road and the forepeak of ourMorris Minor rental car beingstove-in!  As it took several hoursfor a group of us from “Uganda” tobe “rescued”, there was nothingfor it but to do our best to depletethe bar of its stocks of “Tusker”!Oh Happy Days!”

We now have Don Wood to thankfor what is probably the mostobscure “Where are we now?”picture that we have published todate. The ship is the ‘Ellora’, sothat probably will give you a clue

that it is not one of BI’s more usual ports. Answers, asusual, to “...calling BI” for fabulous prizes.

If any other readers can unearth pictures that may begood for this spot, do please let us have them. Allcontributions are gratefully accepted.

FROM THE COMPETITION DEPT....

Over the last few weeks and months, we have been madevery aware of the ravages that a cyclone can wreak uponour world and our hearts must go out to our Australianreaders for all the problems that they have endured at

the hands ofthe weather. Nor, in this regard, of course, are we anythe less mindful of all the other natural disasters thathave been inflicted on our friends in New Zealand andJapan. But, as these two photos of 2005’s HurricaneKatrina prove, there is still something awe-inspiring in

natural forces. Most of our readership will havehad first hand experience of these and pay properrespect for the immutable and terrible laws of nature.

As your Editor sits surrounded by late winter mists,his mind wanders back to sunnier and hotterclimes. And irresistibly, memories of that wonderdrink, lime pani, come to tickle the taste budsof his memories. We areindebted to reader PeterFielding for the followingrecipe, which he first putup on the Biship websiteback in 2009:

75g. sugar, juice of 1 lime,1/2 tsp. salt, fresh mintleaves, lemon slice.Mix sugar with 750ml water till dissolved. Add lime juiceand salt, and stir. Serve with ice. (And the mint andlemon, of course.)Peter says that he can't remember from whom he got therecipe and doesn’t know why it's in metric - we were stillcivilised in BI - but nevertheless it works.

Not ones to be left out, however, our cousins from theNaval tradition extolled the virtues of lemon drink in a1830 circular, as follows:“Lemon juice, our grand anti-scorbutic, is not issuedexcept to the ships going on foreign stations, nor untilfourteen days have elapsed after the issue of beer, freshmeat, fruit or vegetables ceased - unless, under someextraordinary circumstances, the surgeon thinks itnecessary for the health of the crew.

"There is no fixed regulation as to themanner in which it is to be used - it maybe either mixed with the grog or made

into lemonade. The allowance ishalf an ounce of lemon juiceand half an ounce of sugar perday, to each man. Some officersprefer serving out double

allowance for one week, and thenmissing a week: the pint oflemonade is thus made doublystrong, and, of course, moreagreeable to the palate. It issometimes mixed with the grog,which is converted into punch bythis process; but this is notrelished by the sailors.

Occasionally, it is served out in a raw state, and in thiscase, the men use it either as a condiment for theirdough or pudding, or mix it with their drinking water. Itis generally appreciated in any way, and seems to beequally beneficial in all, as far as the health of the crewis concerned”.When in the Caribbean on Nevasa's second cruise tothose parts, we came across - and of course sampledcopiously - the local rum punch recipe, which is easy toremember, being:One of Sour, Two of Sweet, Three of Strong, Four ofWeak where sour = lemon or lime juice, sweet = sugar orcane syrup, strong = rum, weak = water.

Cheers!

FROM THE GALLEY....

FROM THE MET OFFICE....

Two very significant anniversaries loom large in April thisyear, both being at opposite ends of the emotionalspectrum. Fifty years ago, on 8th April 1961, thecompany’s ship mv Dara suffered an explosion and firewhich caused the third biggest lossof life on a British ship since thesinking of the Titanic. Exactnumbers of deaths have always beenargued about, but it is thought thatsome 212 out of around 819 peoplelost their lives. The exact cause ofthe explosion has never beendetermined, but most theoriescentred around a bomb planted byOmani terrorists. The Chief Officerat the time, Peter Jordan, wrotemovingly about the tragedy in 2006as follows:“I was in fact chief officer on boardthat terrible night, so am fullyaware of the sequence of events.The explosion occurred outside thevishiwala galley which went throughto the engine room bulkhead and upthrough 2 decks, which were thepassenger and main lounge. Havingchecked, as best as possible, therewas no way of containing the fire due to the fact that thebomb had disrupted all electrical, fire water and steeringmodule, so we had no choice but to abandon ship.Alarms by this time were already going off, crew were

alerted and due to the weather, which was almost galeforce, the fires spread rapidly. We launched lifeboats,but due to the panic, one lifeboat in particular, I recall,was overcrowded and overturned in the rough sea.Another life boat manned by the second officer had beendamaged by a Greek vessel which had dragged her anchorand collided with our bow and damaged the lifeboat anda few other parts of the ship some hours prior to theexplosion! This lifeboat full of people, though almostsinking due to the damage, was rescued by a Norwegiantanker's lifeboat. This same Norwegian tanker came

steaming in despite the fact they were notgas free (i.e. at high risk themselves ofexploding) and saved many many livesincluding my own. I wish to thank themvery much.As for, dare I say it, the Empire Guillemot,we called her by Morse light and asked for

help, but due to her cargo of bombs and explosives shecould not and would not come close for fear of explosion;that is a fact!! She sat out there like, well I’m sorry therewas no excuse, they were the nearest ship to us, and sat

there, they could have steamed in, droppedsome lifeboats and moved on, but alas didnot. As for reports I have read, that theysaved lives, well they did not, they mayhave had survivors picked up by theNorwegians transferred to their ship, butthat is all.I am 75 years of age now, so can speakfreely of the events that occurred thatnight. I do not wish to incite any anger orchange to what has been said and written,but facts are facts, and I can only say thetruth as it was. I do not wish to put adamper on the Dara as a dive site, however,for me at least she is a gravesite for all thepeople who lost their lives that terrible dayand should be respected as such”.A reply by the owner of the website inwhich Peter expressed his views replied:“While respecting Peter’s views regardingDara being used as a dive site, and it may

be appropriated to regard it as a memorial to those whodied, it is my information that the ship had been boardedby US and British naval personnel, as explained above,and was in tow when it went down. As such it is assumedthat all the crew and passengers had had the chance toleave the ship. There may have been the bodies ofanyone killed by the blast, still onboard but I can say that in almost fiftyyears the wreck has been dived, I hadnever heard of anyone coming acrossany remains”.

FROM THE HISTORY BOOK....

Without endorsing either point of view regarding thediving, should you wish to view a video of the wreck go tohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsjzaYqrMzU. The ship’s crew list at the time: Captain C. Elson, ChiefOfficer Peter Jordan, Second Officer Charles Alexander,Third Officer P C S Jackson, Extra Third Officer - B R L JHeard, Cadet J J Grimwood, Cadet IanTew, 1st Radio Officer A D Sinclair, 2ndRadio Officer L McGrath, Surgeon Dr A NBanerjee, Purser J E Murray, Extra PurserJ D Soares, Chief Engineer Officer G KCruickshank, 2nd Engineer Officer R KBirrell, 3rd Engineer Officer J Edgar, 4thEngineer Officer D J McLeod, JuniorEngineer Officer P Durham, JuniorEngineer Officer D Bhattacharjee, JuniorEngineer Officer N H M Ali.A scant few days after this sad tragedy, achange of fortunes occurred for BI. Aftera £100 000 refit at Palmers Hebburn-on-Tyne yard, on 12th April 1961, the Dunerasailed gracefully down the Clyde on thefirst of the modern educational cruisesthat illuminated so many young lives overthe years, including, apparently, youreditor’s future partner-to-be - onlyneither of us realised the significance formany long years. After many proud yearsof trooping and achieving some sort offame in bringing some 2000 refugees to Australia in 1940,immortalised in the film “The Dunera Boys”, the shipbegan an altogether happier role. This posting on awebsite is typical: We leftGenoa, and travelled down theAdriatic to Palermo, Sicily,then to Greece to see theAcropolis, moving back up theAdriatic we stopped atDubrovnik in Yugoslavia, Upthen to Venice, and back againto Genoa for the return trainjourney.I remember the other schoolchildren; In particular thegirls! I was a rough kid fromthe east end of London andthey were, in my eyes, poshkids from the nice places like(the only place I canremember) RAF Chichester. Ihope somebody can rememberthat cruise and can tell methey remember it, and maybeme.I fell in love about six timeswhilst on that cruise and even travelled down to see oneof the girls in Chichester, but you know how it is after aholiday romance? Its not the same on a rainy day inChichester.The cruise changed my life, It broadened my outlook onlife, gave me standards of behaviour and speech to aspireto and made me think about bettering my education, andplanning a positive future.

Now, I believe I have been successful inlife, have successful children who havehad a good university education, have fourhappy Grandchildren, and retired early(53). I really believe that my life waschanged and has been good, in part due tothe influence of that cruise. Thanks, Dunera.

These two anniversaries are redolent with many varyingmemories and conflicting emotions, affecting not only BIstaff but also thousands of people world-wide.

FROM THE HISTORY BOOK....